[net.followup] athiest/agnostic

rich (01/18/83)

 
Athiest: someone who does not believe in the existance of a supreme
         being. There is no such creature as an athiest, though many
         claim to be. Put any one of them in a foxhole and start
         shelling them and the first words out of their mouthes are:
         "God help me." The term should be abandoned.

Agnostic: The person above with revised definitions. Believes in a
         supreme being but is not willing to follow any organized
         religion, go to church, pray or what have you. Then, let us
         add:

Christmas Christian: Persons who believe in God and go to church ONLY
         at Christmas and Easter. The rest of the year they are agnostic.

presley (01/19/83)

>From "The Devil's Dictionary":

Christian, n.  One who believes that the New Testament is a divinely
inspired book admirably suited to the spiritual needs of his neighbor.
One who follows the teachings of Christ in so far as they are not
inconsistent with a life of sin.

Religion, n.  A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the
nature of the Unknowable.

mmt (01/20/83)

If an athiest is:
Athiest: someone who does not believe in the existance of a supreme
         being. There is no such creature as an athiest, though many
         claim to be. Put any one of them in a foxhole and start
         shelling them and the first words out of their mouthes are:
         "God help me." The term should be abandoned.

should an agnostic not be renamed an "athier", and a Christmas Christian
an "athy"?
		Martin Taylor

mrs (01/26/83)

With regards to the statement that there is no such thing as a true atheist,
I must point out that while a person "in a foxhole", as you put it, may well
exclaim "God help me!", but that this is a result of the society he grew up
in rather than any particular religious belief. A person who has no fear of 
death will be able to get through his entire life without mentioning any god
at all. 
I could also go on to point out the illogic of an omnipotent god's existence
because of the multiplicity of such religions, but it is impossible to argue
against faith, which is essentially illogical.

     					Michael Stwalley
					teklabs!reed!mrs

		NO NEED TO FLAME, ENOUGH SAID ON THE SUBJECT OF RELIGION!!!